Our students are constantly exposed to images, but do they have the skills to interpret what they see? The term "screenager" was originated by Douglas Rushkoff in his 1997 book, "Playing the Future." A screenager is defined as: a person in their teens or early twenties who spends a huge amount of time in front of the screen of computer, TV, video game console, and/or phone.
The Visual Literacy Curriculum
The basic elements of visual literacy can be easily integrated into the curriculum of all subject areas. The four main objectives are:
1. Students are able to read an image and identify its visual elements.
2. Students are able to interpret what they see in an image.
3. Students are able to use critical thinking skills to analyze what they see in an image.
4. Students are able to communicate through images.
Select a photograph for students to examine. Have the students use the Photo Analysis Worksheet to:
a) Observe the photo and list everything that they see.
b) List three inferences that they could make from what they see.
c) Write questions that the photo brings to mind.
d) Discuss their findings.
2. The Group Photo Analysis
Select a photo and cut it into parts. You can use BlockPosters to create the parts of the photo.
a) Divide the class into groups and give each person in the group a piece of the photo.
b) Have the students first examine their piece of the photo.
c) Have each student in the group explain the content of their piece of the photo.
d) Have the group use each student's report and brainstorm to tell what's going on in the photo.
3. The Intense Interrogation Technique
a) Find a photograph that has people in it.
b) Have students select one person in the photograph and pose a question to that person.
Image Manipulation - What to Check
1. Check the source of the image.
2. Look at the entire image.
3. Examine the lighting.
4. Ask yourself, "Could this actually happen."
5. Look for differences in image quality.
Visual Literacy Instructional Strategies Based on Bloom's Taxonomy
Level 1: Remembering You can insert PowerPoint Text Boxes onto an image and have students fill in the appropriate term/words. You can use the Trigger Effect in PowerPoint to insert hidden links on an image. Level 2: Understanding Use the Visual Thinking Strategy to get students involved in analyzing an image to understand it. The VTS strategy asks students to answer the following three questions:1. What's going on in this picture?2. What do you see that makes you say that?3. What else can you find? Level 3: Applying This level on Bloom's Taxonomy requires students to use, show, or demonstrate. An effective challenge for this level is to have students combine an image with a "6 word message" to deliver and reinforce their message. To accomplish this, students use the Magazine Cover tool/effect on the Big Huge Labs website to create a magazine cover that includes the image and the 6 words. Level 4: Analyzing At this level of Bloom's Taxonomy, students are give tasks to compare, contrast, or differentiate. An example strategy is to have students examine two images that have something in common, but are still different. Through analyzing the two images, students are able to find those differences. Level 5: Evaluating At the Evaluating Level of Bloom's, we want students to be able to assess, judge, and defend a position. Present students with four or five images of some of the greatest innovations. Ask students to choose which innovation made the greatest impact on society, explain the reasons for their choice. Level 6: Creating This level challenges students to generate or create something new based on images. It gives students the opportunity to use their creativity to develop a digital story that also uses images to help tell the story. The stories can take the form of a photo essays, primary source stories, creative writing digital stories, newspaper articles, or classroom presentations.
Visual Literacy for Screenagers
Our students are constantly exposed to images, but do they have the skills to interpret what they see? The term "screenager" was originated by Douglas Rushkoff in his 1997 book, "Playing the Future." A screenager is defined as: a person in their teens or early twenties who spends a huge amount of time in front of the screen of computer, TV, video game console, and/or phone.
The Visual Literacy Curriculum
The basic elements of visual literacy can be easily integrated into the curriculum of all subject areas.The four main objectives are:
1. Students are able to read an image and identify its visual elements.
2. Students are able to interpret what they see in an image.
3. Students are able to use critical thinking skills to analyze what they see in an image.
4. Students are able to communicate through images.
Resources
101 Questions
BlockPosters
Photo Analysis Worksheet
Image Detective
Newspaper Templates
Visual Dictionary Online
PowerPoint Instructional Strategies
Museum of Hoaxes - Hoax Photo Test
Fakes, Frauds, and Forgeries: How to Detect Image Manipulation
Altered Images Exhibit by Michael Kamber
PBS News Hour - Manipulated Images
Funny Mistakes in Our Favorite Movies
Cartoon - Privacy Apathy
Creating Infographics
5 Card Flickr
Primary Sources and Bloom's Taxonomy
Recommended Web Sources for:
Maps: University of Texas Library Map Collection
Cartoons: Cartoons for the Classroom
Creativity with Images: Big Huge Labs
Creativity with Images: PhotoFunia
Graphs: Kid's Zone Create a Graph
Labeled Images: The Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary Online
Analyzing Images: National Archives Analysis Forms
Analyzing Images: The Image DetectivePrimary Sources: Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs
Analyzing Films: The Film Club - The New York Times
Story Starter: 5 Card Flickr
Museum Art: Smarthistory
Activities
1. Analyzing an Image
Select a photograph for students to examine. Have the students use the Photo Analysis Worksheet to:a) Observe the photo and list everything that they see.
b) List three inferences that they could make from what they see.
c) Write questions that the photo brings to mind.
d) Discuss their findings.
2. The Group Photo Analysis
Select a photo and cut it into parts. You can use BlockPosters to create the parts of the photo.a) Divide the class into groups and give each person in the group a piece of the photo.
b) Have the students first examine their piece of the photo.
c) Have each student in the group explain the content of their piece of the photo.
d) Have the group use each student's report and brainstorm to tell what's going on in the photo.
3. The Intense Interrogation Technique
a) Find a photograph that has people in it.b) Have students select one person in the photograph and pose a question to that person.
Image Manipulation - What to Check
1. Check the source of the image.2. Look at the entire image.
3. Examine the lighting.
4. Ask yourself, "Could this actually happen."
5. Look for differences in image quality.
Visual Literacy Instructional Strategies Based on Bloom's Taxonomy
Level 1: Remembering
You can insert PowerPoint Text Boxes onto an image and have students fill in the appropriate term/words.
You can use the Trigger Effect in PowerPoint to insert hidden links on an image.
Level 2: Understanding
Use the Visual Thinking Strategy to get students involved in analyzing an image to understand it. The VTS strategy asks students to answer the following three questions:1. What's going on in this picture?2. What do you see that makes you say that?3. What else can you find?
Level 3: Applying
This level on Bloom's Taxonomy requires students to use, show, or demonstrate. An effective challenge for this level is to have students combine an image with a "6 word message" to deliver and reinforce their message. To accomplish this, students use the Magazine Cover tool/effect on the Big Huge Labs website to create a magazine cover that includes the image and the 6 words.
Level 4: Analyzing
At this level of Bloom's Taxonomy, students are give tasks to compare, contrast, or differentiate. An example strategy is to have students examine two images that have something in common, but are still different. Through analyzing the two images, students are able to find those differences.
Level 5: Evaluating
At the Evaluating Level of Bloom's, we want students to be able to assess, judge, and defend a position. Present students with four or five images of some of the greatest innovations. Ask students to choose which innovation made the greatest impact on society, explain the reasons for their choice.
Level 6: Creating
This level challenges students to generate or create something new based on images. It gives students the opportunity to use their creativity to develop a digital story that also uses images to help tell the story. The stories can take the form of a photo essays, primary source stories, creative writing digital stories, newspaper articles, or classroom presentations.
Visual Literacy Research
What We See and Why It MattersAnimal Tracks
Animal Tracks MatchupWhat Happened Here - PBS Animal Tracks Mystery
Animal Tracking Guide